well there are plenty of threads on the forum regarding 'the gritty mix' , just put it in the search bar :) If you're looking for a quick temporary fix dunk a whole lot of perlite into the soil...maybe 50/50 ratio. As for the sand, it tends to 'compact' when wet (bad aeration) so it's generally a less popular choice in growing medium. Hope that helps, and goodluck with saving your plant :)

Hi Nick, I'm in a similar situation... I bought the same plant (Pachyphytum oviferum?), about 3 weeks ago, at the store I was pulling off the rotten leaves and figured I'd take a chance in trying to save it. Once home, I removed the peat moss and repotted into a fast draining mix, it has dropped a few more rotten or "clear" leaves. I have only given it a light drizzle of water in these 3 weeks. Today... All I can do is give them bright light and wait for them to give me a sign like putting out roots in search of water. Only then will I water again.... that is my plan. -Nancy

Hi, Thank you everyone very much! To answer your questions: - Location: Melbourne, Australia - Sun: this area gets a good half a day of direct sunlight - Water/Drainage: This photo as I mentioned, was taken immediately after it rained, so it looks very wet. It is generally well protected from the rain by the leaves. Yes the rocks and sand and coal (i think perlite is another name) is ⅔ of the pot from the bottom. There are 4 big holes in the bottom of the pot and it drains really well. The plants were growing like crazy in this pot for over a year. And I replanted them 3-4 month ago, adding those rocks and sand. So the drainage issue is unlikely. The roots looked healthy. I could put some more rocks on top to protect it from the rain even more. -Plant type: don't know the name, it certainly looks just like K. luciae pictured above in Crenda's comment. There is a different succulent on the side. The very tall fast growing one. The leaves start to develop these black spots or dried edges and then bubble almost in an acid burn looking manner and die off. Should I trim those effected leaves?

I am not sure what is wrong with them and would hope someone smarter than I will come along and help out. Not sure if it's a disease or growing conditions not right. But I will tell you that these plants need a fast draining potting mix, and commercial cactus and succulent mixes are most often too water retaining. Remember these are succulents, they hold a lot of water in their leaves and suffer if they are overwatered or in soil that holds the water too long or even dries out and resists water. The best practice with succulents is to have a fast draining soil, and when the plants are dry, water until the water comes out the bottom of the pot. If you want to try to save them I would suggest mixing your cactus and succulent mix 50-50 with either perlite or pumice available at nurseries here, not sure what's available for you there. Both pots need to have holes in the bottom so you would want to replace the one without a hole. If you do a repot and notice rotting stems, the plant probably won't make it.